Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Shrub
Origin
Central America, Mexico
Southeastern United States, South-Central United States
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
-
Number of Varieties
31
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
bottomlands, Coastal Regions, Moist woods, pine woods, Slopes, Swamps, Thickets, Woods
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-86-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
12-1
Sunset Zone
A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Arching/Fountain-shaped
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm182.88 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm182.88 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
Pink, Lavender
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Green
Purple, White
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Yellow green, Tan
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Elliptic
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Cuttings, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Keep ground moist, Requires a lot of watering, Requires regular watering, Requires watering in the growing season
Medium
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Loam
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
-
Fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, fertilize in spring, Use a fertilizer ratio of 16-4-8
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
-
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Coarse
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
Birds, Butterflies
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
Poisonous
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Food for birds
Air purification, Food for animals, Food for birds
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation, Rich in Iron
Colic, Dysentry, Fever, Malaria, Rheumatism, Stomach pain
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Flowers, Root
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Showy Purposes, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for bedding in gardens, Used for fragrance, Used for its medicinal properties, Used for Landscaping
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Foundation, Mixed Border, Screening, Wind Break
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
CALLICARPA americana
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
American beautyberry , French mulberry
In Hindi
Mousemelon
American Beautyberry Tree
In German
Maus Melone
Amerikanische Schönbaum
In French
Mousemelon
Américaine Beautyberry Arbre
In Spanish
Mousemelon
Americana beautyberry Árbol
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
American Beautyberry Δέντρο
In Portuguese
melão rato
Árvore Beautyberry Americana
In Polish
mysz melona
Amerykański pięknotka Drzewo
In Latin
mouse melon
Latin Beautyberry ligno
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Lamiales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Verbenaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Callicarpa
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
Melothrieae
-
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Ranunculoideae
Number of Species
5020
1
27800
👆🏻